Indoor cat..quality of life?

"kaeli" wrote



Well, for cats who know no different, being indoor-only can be a
satisfying
and wonderful life.

My Cheeky knows "the great outdoors," because she was a pregnant stray
picked up in a trailer park at about a year old. The shelter said there was
no sign that she had ever lived with people.

After I adopted her, She ran outside a few times, twice in the back yard
early on,
and once out the front door. As soon as she got a load of A.) the cars
roaring by
and B.) me screaming and crying, she ran back inside. It has been three
years in
November since I adopted her and 2.5 years since she darted for any door.
(I think the reason she did at first was sheer relief from the cramped
conditions
at the shelter where she was kept for four full months.)

She and Buddha, who was raised as a kitten inside, enjoy the same things--
the laser pointer, catnip toys, games of catch and "retrieve." They have
recently
begun playing with each other--chasey-batty games, mostly. Every morning
this
little creature is so happy just to BE that she purrs loudly and won't stop
rubbing all over my legs and head butting me until I pointedly ignore her
for a while after I get to work in my home office. Then she goes to watch
"cat tv" with Boo down at the big sliding glass door that looks into the
back
yard, or sits on her cat perch in my office, or in her open (screened)
window in
one of the bathrooms and chatters and watches the birds, squirrels, and
chipmunks.
Then its afternoon naps, dinner time, after dinner naps, and playtime!



You have to provide them with more stimulation, of
course, and things to relieve their natural instincts, such as scratching
posts, cat grass, and so on.

My tips / thoughts...

1. Have more than 1 cat. They entertain each other.
2. Lots of scratching posts, (floor to ceiling?) cat tree, cat condo, cat
grass, and cat toys.
3. Cat ledge by window (a carpeted thing you can attach by the window so
they
can perch comfortably and look out).
4. Outdoor enclosure for cats? They are escorted out, get to play in the
grass and get fresh air, yet safe from getting lost or injured. If
possible,
cat door leads right outside to enclosure somehow so they can come and go.
5. Gotta watch the diet more with indoor cats, as they get less exercise.
6. Gotta clip the nails if you're worried about your furniture, at least
until the cat is well trained to use his posts. I always keep the nails
trimmed just to save my skin when they knead or jump on me. Outdoor cats
need
the tips of the nails to climb trees to escape danger. Indoor cats do not.
7. Two litter boxes for two cats. Possibly three, depending on the cats.
General rule is one per cat plus one extra. It depends on how fussy your
cats
are, and that's really variable. I get by with two boxes for three cats,
but
I clean the boxes twice daily. Some cats will only go #1 in one box and #2
in
the other. Others won't go in the box if there's any waste it in at all.
Cats
who are used to relieving themselves outdoors may resist litter in the box
and want soil.
8. Neuter your cats if you didn't before. It's healthier for them and
better
for your sanity. Intact toms tend to spray. Intact queens can go into near
continuous heat until mated.

That's all I got for now...

I'm sorry for your loss.



All great ideas.

"kaeli" wrote



Well, for cats who know no different, being indoor-only can be a
satisfying
and wonderful life.

My Cheeky knows "the great outdoors," because she was a pregnant stray
picked up in a trailer park at about a year old. The shelter said there was
no sign that she had ever lived with people.

After I adopted her, She ran outside a few times, twice in the back yard
early on,
and once out the front door. As soon as she got a load of A.) the cars
roaring by
and B.) me screaming and crying, she ran back inside. It has been three
years in
November since I adopted her and 2.5 years since she darted for any door.
(I think the reason she did at first was sheer relief from the cramped
conditions
at the shelter where she was kept for four full months.)

She and Buddha, who was raised as a kitten inside, enjoy the same things--
the laser pointer, catnip toys, games of catch and "retrieve." They have
recently
begun playing with each other--chasey-batty games, mostly. Every morning
this
little creature is so happy just to BE that she purrs loudly and won't stop
rubbing all over my legs and head butting me until I pointedly ignore her
for a while after I get to work in my home office. Then she goes to watch
"cat tv" with Boo down at the big sliding glass door that looks into the
back
yard, or sits on her cat perch in my office, or in her open (screened)
window in
one of the bathrooms and chatters and watches the birds, squirrels, and
chipmunks.
Then its afternoon naps, dinner time, after dinner naps, and playtime!



You have to provide them with more stimulation, of
course, and things to relieve their natural instincts, such as scratching
posts, cat grass, and so on.

My tips / thoughts...

1. Have more than 1 cat. They entertain each other.
2. Lots of scratching posts, (floor to ceiling?) cat tree, cat condo, cat
grass, and cat toys.
3. Cat ledge by window (a carpeted thing you can attach by the window so
they
can perch comfortably and look out).
4. Outdoor enclosure for cats? They are escorted out, get to play in the
grass and get fresh air, yet safe from getting lost or injured. If
possible,
cat door leads right outside to enclosure somehow so they can come and go.
5. Gotta watch the diet more with indoor cats, as they get less exercise.
6. Gotta clip the nails if you're worried about your furniture, at least
until the cat is well trained to use his posts. I always keep the nails
trimmed just to save my skin when they knead or jump on me. Outdoor cats
need
the tips of the nails to climb trees to escape danger. Indoor cats do not.
7. Two litter boxes for two cats. Possibly three, depending on the cats.
General rule is one per cat plus one extra. It depends on how fussy your
cats
are, and that's really variable. I get by with two boxes for three cats,
but
I clean the boxes twice daily. Some cats will only go #1 in one box and #2
in
the other. Others won't go in the box if there's any waste it in at all.
Cats
who are used to relieving themselves outdoors may resist litter in the box
and want soil.
8. Neuter your cats if you didn't before. It's healthier for them and
better
for your sanity. Intact toms tend to spray. Intact queens can go into near
continuous heat until mated.

That's all I got for now...

I'm sorry for your loss.



All great ideas.

"kaeli" wrote



Well, for cats who know no different, being indoor-only can be a
satisfying
and wonderful life.

My Cheeky knows "the great outdoors," because she was a pregnant stray
picked up in a trailer park at about a year old. The shelter said there was
no sign that she had ever lived with people.

After I adopted her, She ran outside a few times, twice in the back yard
early on,
and once out the front door. As soon as she got a load of A.) the cars
roaring by
and B.) me screaming and crying, she ran back inside. It has been three
years in
November since I adopted her and 2.5 years since she darted for any door.
(I think the reason she did at first was sheer relief from the cramped
conditions
at the shelter where she was kept for four full months.)

She and Buddha, who was raised as a kitten inside, enjoy the same things--
the laser pointer, catnip toys, games of catch and "retrieve." They have
recently
begun playing with each other--chasey-batty games, mostly. Every morning
this
little creature is so happy just to BE that she purrs loudly and won't stop
rubbing all over my legs and head butting me until I pointedly ignore her
for a while after I get to work in my home office. Then she goes to watch
"cat tv" with Boo down at the big sliding glass door that looks into the
back
yard, or sits on her cat perch in my office, or in her open (screened)
window in
one of the bathrooms and chatters and watches the birds, squirrels, and
chipmunks.
Then its afternoon naps, dinner time, after dinner naps, and playtime!



You have to provide them with more stimulation, of
course, and things to relieve their natural instincts, such as scratching
posts, cat grass, and so on.

My tips / thoughts...

1. Have more than 1 cat. They entertain each other.
2. Lots of scratching posts, (floor to ceiling?) cat tree, cat condo, cat
grass, and cat toys.
3. Cat ledge by window (a carpeted thing you can attach by the window so
they
can perch comfortably and look out).
4. Outdoor enclosure for cats? They are escorted out, get to play in the
grass and get fresh air, yet safe from getting lost or injured. If
possible,
cat door leads right outside to enclosure somehow so they can come and go.
5. Gotta watch the diet more with indoor cats, as they get less exercise.
6. Gotta clip the nails if you're worried about your furniture, at least
until the cat is well trained to use his posts. I always keep the nails
trimmed just to save my skin when they knead or jump on me. Outdoor cats
need
the tips of the nails to climb trees to escape danger. Indoor cats do not.
7. Two litter boxes for two cats. Possibly three, depending on the cats.
General rule is one per cat plus one extra. It depends on how fussy your
cats
are, and that's really variable. I get by with two boxes for three cats,
but
I clean the boxes twice daily. Some cats will only go #1 in one box and #2
in
the other. Others won't go in the box if there's any waste it in at all.
Cats
who are used to relieving themselves outdoors may resist litter in the box
and want soil.
8. Neuter your cats if you didn't before. It's healthier for them and
better
for your sanity. Intact toms tend to spray. Intact queens can go into near
continuous heat until mated.

That's all I got for now...

I'm sorry for your loss.



All great ideas.

"Jeannie" wrote in message
...
"blair thompson" wrote in message
...
I recently lost my guy to the coyotes. I live adjacent to a
forested area where they are active, so I am thinking my next best
friend should be confined to quarters

I have been reading the many compelling arguments in favour of
keeping a cat inside---the safety angle, longevity cf to the
free-rangers, etc. I know there is much one can do to make indoor
living tolerable to a cat, such as cat tree, cat grass munchies, toys,
etc.

But I am still wondering what the consensus here might be to
just how pleasurable life really is for an indoor cat, Or am I just
anthropomorphizing human traits onto a cat, and they really don't need
as much stimuli in a day as we do, especially when they sleep 15-plus
hours out of every 24? What about the second-cat-to-keep-the
-first-one-company option?

Thanks for your input.

Blair Thompson
North Vancouver, B.C.

I think that keeping a cat inside is OK if the cat has always been an
indoor
only cat and doesn't know any different. I would also suggest getting two
cats rather than one as they will then keep each other company when your
not
there.

I do find that if you read this newsgroup regularly, you will find a
higher
incidence of things like, cats on Prozac (??), inappropriate illimination
issues, stress related behavior, e.g. fur biting, among indoor only cats.
I
would like to stress that this is my perception and it may just be because
there are a high proportion of Americans who post here and they are more
likely to keep their cats indoor only.

It may also be that the perople who come here do so because they're
ecxperiencing a problem. IOW, if a cat has no health or bewhavioral issues,
then a person is less likely to seek out the ng. Therefore, the statistics
can appear to be skewed.

Cathy


Having said that, there are also the obvious risks for an indoor / outdoor
cat too so neither situation is perfect. I would say that if you have
already had one cat killed by coyotes it's probably not such a good idea
to
let any future cats outside, or at the very least, not between dusk and
dawn, which I have been led to believe is when coyotes are most active.

Could build some kind of outside enclosure for you cat? That could be an
option.

Jeannie


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"Jeannie" wrote in message
...
"blair thompson" wrote in message
...
I recently lost my guy to the coyotes. I live adjacent to a
forested area where they are active, so I am thinking my next best
friend should be confined to quarters

I have been reading the many compelling arguments in favour of
keeping a cat inside---the safety angle, longevity cf to the
free-rangers, etc. I know there is much one can do to make indoor
living tolerable to a cat, such as cat tree, cat grass munchies, toys,
etc.

But I am still wondering what the consensus here might be to
just how pleasurable life really is for an indoor cat, Or am I just
anthropomorphizing human traits onto a cat, and they really don't need
as much stimuli in a day as we do, especially when they sleep 15-plus
hours out of every 24? What about the second-cat-to-keep-the
-first-one-company option?

Thanks for your input.

Blair Thompson
North Vancouver, B.C.

I think that keeping a cat inside is OK if the cat has always been an
indoor
only cat and doesn't know any different. I would also suggest getting two
cats rather than one as they will then keep each other company when your
not
there.

I do find that if you read this newsgroup regularly, you will find a
higher
incidence of things like, cats on Prozac (??), inappropriate illimination
issues, stress related behavior, e.g. fur biting, among indoor only cats.
I
would like to stress that this is my perception and it may just be because
there are a high proportion of Americans who post here and they are more
likely to keep their cats indoor only.

It may also be that the perople who come here do so because they're
ecxperiencing a problem. IOW, if a cat has no health or bewhavioral issues,
then a person is less likely to seek out the ng. Therefore, the statistics
can appear to be skewed.

Cathy


Having said that, there are also the obvious risks for an indoor / outdoor
cat too so neither situation is perfect. I would say that if you have
already had one cat killed by coyotes it's probably not such a good idea
to
let any future cats outside, or at the very least, not between dusk and
dawn, which I have been led to believe is when coyotes are most active.

Could build some kind of outside enclosure for you cat? That could be an
option.

Jeannie


---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.726 / Virus Database: 481 - Release Date: 22/07/04

"Jeannie" wrote in message
...
"blair thompson" wrote in message
...
I recently lost my guy to the coyotes. I live adjacent to a
forested area where they are active, so I am thinking my next best
friend should be confined to quarters

I have been reading the many compelling arguments in favour of
keeping a cat inside---the safety angle, longevity cf to the
free-rangers, etc. I know there is much one can do to make indoor
living tolerable to a cat, such as cat tree, cat grass munchies, toys,
etc.

But I am still wondering what the consensus here might be to
just how pleasurable life really is for an indoor cat, Or am I just
anthropomorphizing human traits onto a cat, and they really don't need
as much stimuli in a day as we do, especially when they sleep 15-plus
hours out of every 24? What about the second-cat-to-keep-the
-first-one-company option?

Thanks for your input.

Blair Thompson
North Vancouver, B.C.

I think that keeping a cat inside is OK if the cat has always been an
indoor
only cat and doesn't know any different. I would also suggest getting two
cats rather than one as they will then keep each other company when your
not
there.

I do find that if you read this newsgroup regularly, you will find a
higher
incidence of things like, cats on Prozac (??), inappropriate illimination
issues, stress related behavior, e.g. fur biting, among indoor only cats.
I
would like to stress that this is my perception and it may just be because
there are a high proportion of Americans who post here and they are more
likely to keep their cats indoor only.

It may also be that the perople who come here do so because they're
ecxperiencing a problem. IOW, if a cat has no health or bewhavioral issues,
then a person is less likely to seek out the ng. Therefore, the statistics
can appear to be skewed.

Cathy


Having said that, there are also the obvious risks for an indoor / outdoor
cat too so neither situation is perfect. I would say that if you have
already had one cat killed by coyotes it's probably not such a good idea
to
let any future cats outside, or at the very least, not between dusk and
dawn, which I have been led to believe is when coyotes are most active.

Could build some kind of outside enclosure for you cat? That could be an
option.

Jeannie


---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.726 / Virus Database: 481 - Release Date: 22/07/04

"Jeannie" wrote in message
...

I think that keeping a cat inside is OK if the cat has always been an
indoor
only cat and doesn't know any different.

This doesn't have to be true. I adopted a 100% outside-living stray cat in
'99. I thought that I might have to gradually accustom him to being an
indoor-only cat by letting him out during the daytime, bringing him at
night, & then gradually shortening his daytime outdoor hours until he was
100% indoors. Instead, he went from 100% outdoor to 100% indoor with no
probs. And he never even begs to go out. So, one never knows!

Cathy

"Jeannie" wrote in message
...

I think that keeping a cat inside is OK if the cat has always been an
indoor
only cat and doesn't know any different.

This doesn't have to be true. I adopted a 100% outside-living stray cat in
'99. I thought that I might have to gradually accustom him to being an
indoor-only cat by letting him out during the daytime, bringing him at
night, & then gradually shortening his daytime outdoor hours until he was
100% indoors. Instead, he went from 100% outdoor to 100% indoor with no
probs. And he never even begs to go out. So, one never knows!

Cathy

"Jeannie" wrote in message
...

I think that keeping a cat inside is OK if the cat has always been an
indoor
only cat and doesn't know any different.

This doesn't have to be true. I adopted a 100% outside-living stray cat in
'99. I thought that I might have to gradually accustom him to being an
indoor-only cat by letting him out during the daytime, bringing him at
night, & then gradually shortening his daytime outdoor hours until he was
100% indoors. Instead, he went from 100% outdoor to 100% indoor with no
probs. And he never even begs to go out. So, one never knows!

Cathy

In the fine newsgroup "rec.pets.cats.health+behav",
itty (Sherry ) artfully composed this message
within on 03
Sep 2004:

I think that keeping a cat inside is OK if the cat has always
been an indoor only cat and doesn't know any different. I

Sometimes they'll surprise you. I would imagine a former roaming
stray would be miserable suddenly indoors. Not always so. My
Biskit will hardly stick her nose outside. She knows the great
outdoors isn't what it's cracked up to be. :-)

Gotta agree with Sherry. Of my two, one was a stray (now about 3-
1/2 years, had him nearly 2-1/2 years now), the other was feral the
first 4-5 months of her life (she's now about 1-1/2 years old).
Neither try to get out, but I do have an enclosure in the back yard
which the older (former stray) loves and only goes to that door to
go out, and "out" isn't available to him all the time, mostly just
on weekends. The former feral has no interest in "out" at all, but
is slowly warming to the idea of the enclosure and will sit out
there for a while.

--
Cheryl